Media release – RSPCA, 20 March 2025
RSPCA Australia withdraws certification of Huon Aquaculture
Today, RSPCA Australia has announced that Huon Aquaculture’s RSPCA Approved certification of farmed Atlantic salmon has been withdrawn following an initial temporary suspension and subsequent investigation.
On Thursday 6 March 2025, a 14-day suspension of Huon Aquaculture’s certification was implemented following the release of a video depicting the inhumane handling of live fish.
After an investigation, RSPCA Australia advised Huon Aquaculture on 20 March 2025 that their certification had been withdrawn.
RSPCA Australia CEO Richard Mussell said, “RSPCA Approved is the leading farm animal welfare certification program in the country and is underpinned by standards that go well above the minimum legal requirements.”
“While we acknowledge this was a single incident following many years of certification, the decision to withdraw a certification reflects how seriously we take incidents like this that compromise animal welfare,” Mr Mussell said.
“Fish, including those farmed for human consumption, are sentient beings and, like other animals, can experience pain and suffering.”
“When they’re farmed for food, the welfare of fish must be front of mind.”
“While today’s decision means that there are now currently no producers certified to the RSPCA Approved Standard for salmon, the Standard still exists because salmon are one of the most intensively farmed animals and it’s important that we can demonstrate the measures needed to ensure their welfare is considered.”
RSPCA Australia will continue to drive real and meaningful change for the welfare of millions of animals every day through both our certification program and our advocacy with industry, government and the public to improve animal welfare.
There will be a short period while the RSPCA Approved logo remains on some products due to practical constraints.
Media release – Huon Aquaculture, 20 March 2025
Huon Aquaculture’s Response to RSPCA Certification withdrawal
Huon Aquaculture is extremely disappointed at the RSPCA’s decision to withdraw certification, after a single incident of non-compliance.
Huon was the first and only Australian salmon farming company to attain RSPCA Certification, setting a higher standard for animal welfare in the industry.
“We fully acknowledge the seriousness of the incident, which was extremely distressing to us and the community,” said Hannah Gray, General Manager of Stakeholder & Government Relations.
“For the past seven years we have been farming to a standard of animal welfare that no other Australian salmon farming company has been able to achieve, and we will continue to farm to this standard.
Huon immediately put steps in place to ensure contractors would uphold Huon’s high animal welfare standards.
“We are incredibly disappointed that a single incident that occurred during an unprecedented, challenging period has brought an end to our association with the RSPCA,” Ms Gray said.
“Despite our disappointment, we are committed to upholding our high standards of animal welfare and will continue to operate at levels that meet the RSCPA standards.
“Our staff who work and live in Tasmania take immense pride in their work and are understandably disappointed by the RSPCA’s decision.”
Huon’s farming practices are world leading, including investment in land-based farming facilities to grow fish longer on land; and stocking densities in marine pens that are among the lowest in the world.
“Huon salmon remains a high quality, safe, healthy choice of protein, that is in strong demand across Australian and overseas,” said Ms Gray.
Huon will continue to work closely with our customers here and overseas, and our commitment to supply the highest quality salmon to supermarkets, restaurants and hotels has not waivered.
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 20 March 2025
Bob Brown Foundation welcomes RSPCA decision to permanently revoke their certification of Huon Aquaculture
Today’s announcement from the RSPCA is the correct one and Bob Brown Foundation congratulates the RSCPA for their decision which reflects the grim reality of factory-farmed Tasmanian salmon. These factory salmon farms are cruel, rogue operations that never cared about the welfare of their salmon or the environment they operate in.
Bob Brown Foundation is calling on all retailers to stop selling Tasmanian farmed salmon, now that no company is RSPCA-approved.
“Australians now know that factory-farmed salmon is cruel, polluting and completely out of control. The RSPCA has done the right thing by dropping the certification of this awful industry,” said Alistair Allan, BBF Antarctic and Marine campaigner.
“Huon Aquaculture has always been synonymous with the suffering of animals, whether because of the explosive crackers they shoot at seals, the cramped factory farm conditions of their pens or letting live fish suffocate to death. Now the public knows the ugly truth of Huon Aquaculture and Tasmanian farmed salmon.”
“For far too long, the industrial fish farm companies have used certifications to mislead consumers about Tasmanian factory farmed salmon.”
“The RSPCA should have never taken money from these factory farms in the first place, which was a clear compromise of their standards. We thank the RSPCA for returning to upholding their values and morals in this instance.”
“The Prime Minister should acknowledge that the RSPCA no longer supports this industry, which reflects the wider public opinion. Everyone is walking away from farmed salmon while the Prime Minister does the opposite. He is out of touch and he needs to walk back his support of the industry immediately,” said Alistair Allan.
Media release – Neighbours of Fish Farming, 20 March 2025
RSPCA disendorsement another nail in industrial salmon’s coffin.
Neighbours of Fish Farming is elated at the RSPCA’s decision to finally cease endorsing a toxic and ruthless industry. NOFF has been calling on the RSPCA to remove their certification of Huon Aquaculture for several years. The recent footage of live salmon being thrown into bins alongside dead fish and left to suffocate and die a terrible death has shocked a great many who care about animals.
It’s a decision that’s been a long-time coming, and is the result of the dedication and diligence of NGOs and communities around Tasmania. It’s a decision that we hope will spread around the country that the industrial salmon industry is not to be trusted. It is not clean and green. It does not put animal welfare above greed and profit. The millions of salmon that have died from disease in recent weeks is irrefutable evidence.
With hotter summers every year, and unstoppable rising water temperatures, this industry is destined to fail. Huon Aquaculture’s unsustainable practices, and the blatant disregard by its CEO’s for animals and our environment has united Tasmanians around the isle.
“It’s five years that NOFF has been asking the RSPCA to remove their endorsement of a ruthless, multi-national industry that only cares about profit,’ says Lisa Litjens, acting NOFF President. “We’ve had carcasses washing up on beaches, and millions of fish dying: this is not an industry that cares about animals.”
“Self-reporting was never going to work,” says Jess Coughlan, NOFF campaigner. “This is not an industry, by a long shot, that has world’s best practice.”
Media release – Cassy O’Connor MLC, Greens Animal Justice spokesperson, 20 March 2025
RSPCA Certification Revoked from Huon Aquaculture At Last
The Tasmanian Greens welcome the RSPCA’s decision to permanently revoke certification of Huon Aquaculture’s industrially farmed salmon.
Rightly so, given the evidence of animal cruelty the whole nation saw – with live fish being dumped in bins to suffocate to death.
In the wake of sustained pressure from community groups and the Greens, the RSPCA has finally made the decision this multinational corporation deserves.
These global salmon companies have neglected the health of their salmon, abused native mammals and birds and poisoned the marine environments around their leases for years.
All of this while the government and Labor not only looked the other way, but continues to cheer them on and hide the toxic truth about this exploitative, cruel industry.
This decision is a great vindication for all those across the community who have campaigned on this issue for years – the Greens salute them.
Today, we renew our call for a full and comprehensive parliamentary inquiry into this summer’s industrial disaster in our waters.
Tasmanians need to know what failures the companies and government agencies oversaw in biosecurity, animal welfare, public communication, public health and more. Enough of the disgraceful secrecy.
Huon Aquaculture must immediately remove their tainted and mislabelled products from supermarkets and apologise to the Tasmanian community. Tasmanians also must hear from the relevant government ministers.
The Greens won’t rest until Big Salmon is bought to heel and our waterways and wildlife are returned to their once-pristine state.
Media release – Environment Tasmania, 20 March 2025
Environment Tasmania welcomes the RSPCA decision to revoke Huon Aquaculture’s certification.
“We applaud the RSPCA in taking the appropriate step in revoking Huon Aquaculture’s certification in light of the recent mass disease outbreak and mortality events at Tasmania salmon factory farms. Fish are sentient beings, and the pain and suffering that would have been experienced is entirely unacceptable,” says Rebecca Howarth, Senior Marine Campaigner at Environment Tasmania.
“There are no salmon farms in Tasmania certified to the RSPCA Approved Standard for salmon. That speaks volumes about the welfare of salmon in these farms. We urge consumers, voters and the federal government to take heed ahead of next week’s tabling of the proposed law favouring this toxic industry. In light of recent events, our environment laws need strengthening not weaking.”
